Michael Orton Wall Art

Michael Orton is a photographer, husband, father and grandfather. A camera has been a part of him for a large part of his adult life and has taken him and his wife, Mary, on a wonderful ride. In 1992 their first book “Once Upon an Island” was published by Orca Book Publishers. As luck would have it, an owner of a stock agency found the book in a bookstore in Seattle and their stock photography career began. They now license through Age Photostock and Getty Images. “Once Upon an Island” contained some of his first impressionistic painterly images, which are to day referred to by other photographers as “Orton Imagery”. In 2011, Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 was released and it contained the "Orton Effect" guided action. While Orton understands and appreciates the defined moment, he has always sought to reach beyond the limitations of documentation.

For him, it is important to use his surroundings as a source of ideas for his art. The feeling of empowerment and freedom that this has given him continue to inspire him. Early in his career he had begun working with music presentations, allowing audiences to experience the combination of imagery and music in the theatre setting. Okanagan School of the Arts, Abottsford Photographic Seminars, Camera Canada, Vancouver Island University Theater, University of Victoria, were some of the venues. He has recently returned to exploring Intentional Camera Movement, where he blends line and color, looking beyond the obvious image producing images that have renewed his passion for photography.